The Washington Commanders improved to 2-1 on Monday night with a 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Here are five takeaways from the team's Week 3 victory.

1. Jayden Daniels delivers a historic performance.

There's no other way to say it; Jayden Daniels was spectacular playing against one of the league's better defenses.

Daniels, who accounted for 293 total yards and set a single-game rookie record with his 91.3% completion rate, was exactly what the Commanders needed in every moment of Monday's game. He protected the ball throughout the night with just two incompletions, used his legs to pick up first downs and was clutch in critical moments. He also scored his first passing touchdown...to an offensive lineman.

"He's a really cool customer and he's got real poise about him," head coach Dan Quinn said of Daniels. "He knew the importance of the ball and the decision making for that."

When the Commanders needed a score late in the fourth quarter, Daniels rose to the challenge and all seven of his passes, including the 27-yard touchdown on third-and-7 to Terry McLaurin. Per NextGenStats, the pass has a completion probability of just 10.3%, making it the most difficult throw of the season so far.

There's still plenty left for Daniels to prove, but as he continues to improve, it seems more likely that Washington has found its quarterback of the future.

2. Terry McLaurin is back.

Terry McLaurin was back to his old self against the Bengals, whose second-ranked secondary had not allowed a 100-yard receiver in the first two games. After putting up just 39 combined yards against the Giants and Buccaneers, McLaurin had four catches for 100 yards -- the 16th of his career -- and the touchdown that helped seal the game.

Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said on Friday that he needs to find ways of getting McLaurin the ball. McLaurin didn't get an increase in targets against the Bengals, but Kingsbury did use him in ways that highlighted his skill set, particularly as a vertical threat. McLaurin's first grab of the night was a 55-yard shot from Daniels that set Washington up inside the 5-yard line.

McLaurin had two catches on the Commanders' final scoring drive; one was a four-yard pickup on third-and-2, while the other was his 27-yard touchdown over Geno Stone. McLaurin told Kingsbury and Daniels that he wanted the ball on the play, and both play caller and quarterback trusted him to deliver in a critical moment.

"Just give Terry a chance to go make a play," Daniels said.

The Commanders have been making steady improvements on offense over the past few weeks. McLaurin getting more involved is a sign that the unit is getting closer to where it wants to be.

3. Another puntless day from Tress Way.

Tress Way hasn't had much to do over the past couple weeks, and that's a good thing for the Commanders.

Washington has not punted the ball away since their season opener against the Buccaneers. It's the first time in the Super Bowl era that a team has been able to pull off that kind of stretch, but it also shows how well the offense has grown since Kingsbury took over as the offensive coordinator. The Commanders are sixth in total yards per game, fifth in points and tied for fifth in third-down conversion rate (45.2%).

"I thought Kliff called a really great game," Quinn said. "And I've been listening through it all week -- all the different looks, the things that would have to go through especially down if we got into the red zone, we knew the third down in the red zone was going to be a really big part of this."

It's also been a while since the Commanders have managed to score at least 35 points in a game, the last time being the Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys in 2020. They managed to score touchdowns on all three of their red zone trips -- a problem for them against the Giants -- and controlled the ball for nearly 33 minutes.

Way will eventually be needed to punt again, but for now, the Commanders are fine with letting him sit on the sideline and hold the ball on field goal attempts.

4. The fourth-down conversions.

Part of the reason why the Commanders managed to keep Joe Burrow off the field was because they took calculated risks on fourth down, and whether you want to credit the play-calling, the performance of the players or some blend of the two, the fact remains that those gambles paid off for the Burgundy & Gold.

Washington kept their offense on the field for three fourth-down attempts, starting with their opening drive of the game. Rather than taking a field goal at the Bengals' 32-yard line, the Commanders put the ball in Daniels' hands and had him drop back to find Luke McCaffrey for a 30-yard gain that helped set up a Brian Robinson Jr. touchdown two plays later.

The Commanders relied on Daniels again at the start of the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-1. This time, Daniels used his legs to plow through the Bengals' defense for a four-yard run. Four plays later, Austin Seibert hit a 42-yard field goal that put Washington back up by 11 points.

The third conversion came on Washington's final scoring drive. The offense needed to stay on the field to keep a resurgent Burrow at bay, and this time, Daniels found Zach Ertz in the middle of the field for a nine-yard reception.

"That's how our nature is, and when the moments are there, we won't be foolish about it, and be aggressive and take our chances," Quinn said.

Washington is one of just six teams with a 100% conversion rate on fourth down.

5. Still more to clean up from the defense.

Washington's offense has shown through three weeks that it can compete with any team in the NFL. The defense, on the other hand, still has some work to do, although there are some signs that it is slowly getting better.

It was widely assumed that Washington, which has struggled with giving up explosive plays in the passing game, was going to have a tough time defending Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Both players still had solid days, as they combined for 157 yards, but the Commanders were committed to keeping plays in front of them. The only times that didn't work were on Chase's two touchdowns of 41 and 31 yards. It's clear that Washington must be better in man coverage, but their current formula is at least successful at limiting explosive plays.

Washington's pass-rush also needs to be better, although it did get some production from rookie Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Dante Fowler Jr. The Bengals' offensive line was always going to be a challenge, as they had one of the best pass-block win rates in the league, but the Commanders had also done a good job of winning their pass-rush reps. The problem stems from an inability to finish plays. The Commanders did manage to get two sacks on Burrow, but it's clear that the group is still a work in progress.

Ultimately, the Commanders held the Bengals to two field goals, which was enough to get the win. However, there are still plenty of quality offenses on the schedule, and the defense needs to show more growth in order to give itself a chance.

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